


Will Be Ours

by 2000sbxtch



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Older Dib (Invader Zim), Romance, Trans Dib (Invader Zim)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:07:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23890582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2000sbxtch/pseuds/2000sbxtch
Summary: After years of emotional and mental abuse from his father, Dib confides in his arch nemesis, Zim, to help him out. Little did he know that this decision created a journey that went years into the future. A story about love, hurt, and a hell of a lot of evil.
Relationships: Dib/Zim (Invader Zim)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 72





	1. Chapter 1

"There's someone at the door, sir" the booming voice of the computer alerted, bringing Zim to a grinding halt at his soldering work. It was such an odd time of night to get visitors...2:00 A.M. Whoever it was was going to get their ass chewed, as what he was working on was extremely important (according to him). He made his way up from his lair to his bland, yet dirty living room. Gir watching some vile kids TV show. He finally made his way to the door, hastily swinging it open. 

What he opened the door to suprised him, though. Deeply suprised him, actually. A frail looking figure, clutching their arms as if they were holding on for dear life. The light sobs emitting as tears streamed down their face. This person was none other than Dib. "What are you doing here?" He asked, an overbearing tone lacing his words. He didn't mean to sound so bitchy (though it was Dib at 2 A.M), but this wasn't normal this wasn't a sight he'd normally see.

"I can't do this anymore." The boy wailed, getting closer to Zim as he spoke. He had a look of desperation.... But his eyes were lit by a fire. He stared daggers into Zim. 

Zim did have to admit, he was rather intimidated by Dib's aura right now. He thought to himself " _oh, is he finally giving in at trying to prove something of me,"_ but part of him was actually a bit worried. "Can't do what?"

He was not ready for what he was about to hear, nor did he think Dib would say anything like this. The soft yet harsh voice of Dib rung through the house;

"I'm fucking tired of this place, Zim," Dib sobbed, grabbing onto Zim's arm rather harshly, "I'm tired of Earth. Let me help you."

Zim gave him a rather shocked look, shaking his head in disbelief. "Help me with what?" he bit, jerking his hand away. This wasn't something he could just trust him on right away... Plus, he didn't even know what he was going on about.

"Please, let’s dominate this disgusting place together."

Zim stared down at the boy crying on his porch. He didn't know what to believe of this situation. Dib, wanting to take over earth with him? He was a human. He was supposed to love this filthy moth ball that they called a planet.

“Ha. The Dib wants to help Zim? That’s a funny joke, Dib. Zim didn’t know you were such a comedian.” Zim spoke, snidely, crossing his arms. He was just trying to fool him. He knew it. He just wanted access to his information and tools, he didn’t really want to help him.   
  
“Now go. I don’t need you ruining my night.” Zim demanded, going to shut his door.

“No, please,” Dib stood up and grabbed the door, staring down at the small alien, “I’m serious. I’m fucking tired of this place Zim. Let me join you. Let’s concur this shit-hole.” Dib had a very confident tone in his voice, also, a sense of evil.

Zim began to believe him shortly after he spoke. Something about his tone gave him the recognition he needed to know that Dib wasn’t there to trick him. He was there to help him. He meant it.

“You... you’re not trying to trick Zim?” Zim stepped aside to let Dib through the door, watching him closely. Dib looked like he had just been through hell. His eyes were red and his lids puffy, tears staining his face; but he wasn’t going to question it right now.

“No, Zim. I’m serious. All the lies I’ve been told. All of the bullshit...” he let out a snarky scoff, “I’m ready to see those people burn. I want to see the world burn.”

Zim looked at him, rather shocked. Here was the guy who tried to prove him wrong since he was 12. Heres the guy who tried to show the world how evil he was to save everyone. Dib wanted to save earth before, so what the fuck was he going on about now?

“Let’s watch this place burn together Zim. Lets make a truce.”


	2. Chapter 2

...A truce? What the hell was Dib talking about? He must've been high again. He must've been tired. He must've been going fucking crazy. 

"A truce?" Zim spoke as he thought, crossing his arms, his magenta orbs staring into Dib like daggers. 

"A truce." Dib echoed. He stared down at his dirtied converses, fiddling idly with his fingers. He couldn't believe he was saying this to his arch nemesis. God, it's been what...five years of this? This back and fourth of spitting abusive phrases at each other; accusations.

"Look, Zim. I'm fucking tired of this place. Every single day is like another fucking year. All I hear is _"you disappoint me", "you'll never be successful", "you were made to be a scientist, not an idiot."_ If I hear that stupid bitch say that shit one more time I'll-" Dib stopped, breaking down once more. His tear stained cheeks had gotten more added to the collection. Zim, in reality, really couldn't _not_ feel bad for him, as he heard some of these phrases countless of times... He made his way to the sofa and sat down rather daintily, not wanting to startle Dib. 

Zim awkwardly patted Dib's back, trying to show some of the human sympathy tactics he learned. "I guess... Zim will make a truce with you..." He spoke softly, leaning back into the couch and slowly slinking his arm away from Dib. He couldn't believe after these past years, he'd be making a pact with Dib; a peace treaty, you could say. He twiddled with his thumbs as he processed the events that happened within the past hour or so. This couldn't be so bad...

After the armada took his ranking away as invader, and even as an Irken resident, Zim and Dib had gotten closer throughout the past two years. It obviously wasn't enough to call them best friends, but they were on... less hostile speaking terms. There was always bickering here and there; the occasional flip off or some name calling, but it had gotten more tame. Zim eventually began to take skool more seriously, which boosted his social status with others, along with Dib. They would end up occasional partners on science projects or reading assignments. All in all, the tragedy of the armada leaving him on earth for good did come with some perks, but he did have to realize that others went through personal struggles as well: sort of like a culture shock for him.

Dib's struggles were, in an odd way, similar to Zim. Most days, he wasn't acknowledged as a Membrane, let alone a member of society. He was always on the side lines. He felt like his identity was stripped, and he was just an empty husk that really had nothing left, except for that very small speck of hope he had for exposing Zim... which after this conversation they just had, those feelings quickly faded. 

Though Dib's intent was for his own gain, he couldn't help but acknowledge the fact that it was, in a way, a tactic to finally end the feud between him and Zim for good. He had always admired his work when it came to his gadgets, and his confidence; man, if only he could have just a sliver of that. 

Dib was sucked away from his thoughts as he heard the alien clear his throat before speaking, "Who spoke to you that way?" He asked, a little timidly, "Was it your-"

"Dad? Yeah, it was my dad." Dib finished, almost matter-of-factly. His tone was hasty. 

"How could someone who created you say something like that? Is Zim missing something about human interaction-?" Zim inquired, sitting up a bit, his weight lifted from the back of the sofa. 

"No, no, you aren't missing anything," Dib chucked, finding Zim's rather naive question to be a bit endearing despite the situation, "he's just- abusive- like how the tallest were to you- shut you out. Abandoned you, Treated you like nothing." He spoke, silently. He didn't want to evoke too much emotion from Zim, but he knew he understood after hearing a small 'oh' come from him.

"It's just... I'm tired of hearing things like that, you know?" Dib continued, "The more I hear it the more it makes me want to go batshit crazy, yanno? Makes me want to watch this place blow up into flames. I want to live in a spaceship. Away from this shit. Build my own empire." He propped his head up on his hands, staring blankly at the walls.

Zim's eyes widened as he heard Dib speak. He was finally understanding how he felt. He wanted to create his own "world". Some thing he could control. Maybe Dib was smarter than he thought... Maybe this truce was worth something.

"Maybe we can help each other reach our goals, then." Zim spoke, watching as his eyes blankly stared off into space. "If we have the same goals, this could be much easier."

Dib chuckled softly and moved to lean his back into the soft sofa, sinking into it slowly. "It could. Maybe we could have our own empire." He murmured, crossing his arms lazily behind his head.

_Our own empire._

That had pleasant ring to it. Their empire. Zim let out a pleased sigh. "I like the sound of that." He finally spoke, leaning back once more (Trying to copy Dib's movements). 

Dib let out a small laugh and nodded, sighing contentedly. "You know what? I think this partnership will be better than I thought. I think we can cause some real damage here and there. I think we _could_ make our own empire." A small smirk curved around his lips as he spoke. The thought of it was almost intoxicating, having a "world" to him and Zim. One where he could make it an amazing place. Though he had ill intent on his current world, he'd make one a safe haven for those needing a new home. An empire full of rejects. 

Zim was still entranced in his own thoughts, his mind running on a sentence and once sentence only...

Their own empire....

This invoked a foreign feeling...

He felt himself growing closer to Dib.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A weird time skip, but it makes the story go smoother. I didn't want to drag you guys on constantly (I.E: the next day every single chapter), so this is about a half a year ahead of time. I didn't want to confuse anyone, so that's why I left it here! That's also why I decided to leave the "slow burn" tag out since feelings develop over time and well... I'm skipping time frames. Also: This chapter has some minor fluff!

Dib had been living with Zim for the past seven months... Which he never believed would happen, even in his wildest dreams. They got along perfectly fine, but there was still their occasional bickering, fighting, nonsense bullshit. After Dib's initial move in, it was a bit awkward. No real talking... Only small sentences said to each other over an hour.

That was mostly the fault of Zim, who could not stop obsessing over what Dib had said..."Our empire." What the hell was that supposed to mean? Dib couldn't have been serious, no matter what his intentions were, but damn did it sound amazing...

They were currently sitting on Zim's couch, Dib typing away at his computer while Zim leaned into his side and watched him type away. He was hacking something, which Zim figured out to be his dad's main laboratory firewall, which would later shut down their current progress on anything digitally. Zim's eyes widened as he watched the different codes appear on the screen, leaning into Dib further. He was intrigued, to say the least.

Dib didn't notice the small alien pressed up against him until he finished his small bit of work, glancing down at him. 

"You alright, space boy?" Dib couldn't help but chuckle. He would be lying if he didn't say Zim was a little bit cute.

Zim immediately pushed himself away, noticing how close he was to Dib. "Yes, Yes! Zim is fine, just impressed by your coding, is all! Zim hasn't done coding like that before."

Dib let out a small chuckle and shook his head, "alright, alright."

In the past seven months, they have gotten closer than they used to... You could even call it clingy. They were both pretty touch starved, so being in the same vicinity as the other made for close sitting and some awkward accidental touches. Along with getting physically close, they got more emotionally close too, being able to speak with each other as friends rather than bicker constantly. Dib, and even Zim, wouldn't admit that through these past seven months, they started to realize their feelings for each other.

Well, Dib knew since the beginning that he was interested in the alien... in a scientific sense, and an emotional sense. He was in denial from the start about how he felt about him, but now that they have been living together for more than half a year, the dam of denial began to break, as his true and raw feelings were seeping through the cracks.

Zim, in a way, felt the same, but he was more confused than anything. He had no clue what he felt for him, but he did research human feelings, which brought him to the conclusion that he liked him, both in a more friendly way and in a romantic way. He was too stubborn to admit it, let alone talk about his feelings for the human, or in general. He did know for sure that the physical contact and more civil approach to talk made him feel more... mushy. Like goo. He couldn't explain his feelings to save his life.

"What are you doing anyway?" Zim spoke, looking over his shoulder once more. 

"Hacking into my dad's lab... trying to shut down everything. If he is going to take away a huge part of me, then why not destroy the biggest part of him?" He chuckled, though he made no eye contact with Zim. Still typing away. 

"Zim has tried that too... hijacking the armada's ship... trying to stop the flow of life sources through their PAK's..." he gave an evil smile, "The first one worked, but the second only worked on a few... not as much as I hoped it did."

"Damn, I guess you're as dead-set as defeating your armada as you are taking over the earth," Dib commented, letting out a small snort. 

Zim gave him a puzzled look and cocked his head, "Well aren't you the same? You want to defeat my armada, but also take over your inhabitants and species."

"Well... I was more interested in your race than defeating the Irken armada... but I guess you are correct." Dib pondered, finally moving his attention away from his computer. He looked at the small alien as he spoke, watching him nod in understanding. 

"I guess we are the coins of the same two sides!" Zim grinned but gave a peculiar look to Dib as he began to laugh.

"You mean two sides of the same coin?" Dib corrected, giving him a small smile.

"Yes, yes, that is what Zim meant." He murmured. Dib let out a giggle and kept his eyes on him, not exactly staring just... gazing.

Zim furrowed his "eyebrows" and huffed, "What are you staring at, stinky? Is it the fact that Zim is irresistible to look at?"

"Something like that," Dib spoke, letting out a laugh as he sunk back into the couch. 

Dib's weight pulled Zim with him as he moved, making Zim move in closer to him. Neither of them seemed to notice, nor care until Zim began to focus on the pattern of Dib's breathing. He moved a small ungloved hand onto Dib's clothed chest, feeling his chest go up and down... up and down... then the rapid pace of his heartbeat.

It frightened Zim to the point where he instantly recoiled his hand away, "What was that?!"

Dib was still processing what had just happened, his face flushed red. "uh... my heart? Yanno the thing that pumps blood through my body."

Zim shook his head, "Well I knew that but- Why did it start going so fast so quickly?" He pondered, his hand moving back to where it was. It happened again! Dib's heartbeat got faster. He also noticed the color of Dib's cheeks continued to grow into a bright red hue. "And why are you changing color?"

Dib didn't know how to react, "It's uh... I'm hot, yanno? It's hot in this room..." He stammered, looking around.

Zim pressed his hand down firmly onto his chest once more, "It seems to change with Zim's contact... How interesting!" Zim's voice went up in volume, something it usually did when he got excited. 

Dib stammered and stumbled over his words for a moment before muttering, "I... yeah, I guess so." He didn't want to tell Zim it meant something a little more to him... But he lied right through his teeth so Zim would do it more often, opening up another chapter to their physical closeness.

Zim kept his hand there until Dib's heart rate decreased and mellowed out to its normal BPM. "How interesting..." Zim spoke, breaking the silence.

Dib couldn't help but scream internally... Suddenly the dam of denial overflooded.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what you guys have probably been waiting for... the fluff moment! the kisses! I decided to put it in this chapter since I couldn't wait much longer! This is kind of short... but I just wanted to give you guys something cute to forgive me for my absence!

11:00 A.M on a Saturday was when GIR decided to be an annoyance and scream at the top of his lungs. Dib was rudely awoken and he let out a loud grumble, shifting his body and burying his head into his pillow, only to realize that there was something...no, someone else there.  
He cracked open one eye, not fully awake yet, to see Zim clung onto him like a cat, his head peacefully resting on the pillow with a small smile on his face. For some reason, Dib's first thought was not   
"what the fuck is he doing sleeping on the couch with me" but it was actually "how the fuck did he just sleep through that." After he asked himself that and pondered for a moment, his face heated up as he realized that it was Zim clung onto him like some abandoned animal. Zim's arms were tightly wrapped around Dib's lanky waist, obviously content with the position he was in. Dib couldn't help but crack a love-drunk smile, before snapping out of it and trying to get out of the small alien's grasp.  
Zim was not pleased with the sudden movement and decided to hold on tighter, finally opening an eye to see Dib trying to move. Dib looked down at him with an embarrassed look, his cheeks still a bright red. "Good morning, Dib-stink," Zim said casually, letting go and sitting up to stretch, "your face is changing color again..."  
"Why were you cuddling me?" Dib sputtered, completely ignoring Zim.  
"'Cuddling'? I was merely stealing warmth." He stated, watching him with a confused look.  
Dib sighed and shook his head, looking away from him. "Zim- That kind of stuff is for relationships-" He muttered, rubbing his forehead with his fingers.  
Zim gave him another quizzical look and shook his head. "Aren't we in a relationship?" Zim asked, watching as Dib's cheeks flushed an even brighter red. "No no- not that kind of relationship- People do that when they date- yanno when they're intimate?" Dib informed, looking at Zim to make sure he understood.  
Zim nodded and put his hand on his chin in thought, answering with: "So why can't we be?" Dib knew he was being completely serious, which freaked him out... Did he understand what that even meant? God, he was digging himself a grave here.  
"Because it's like- okay- you don't use that term lightly, yanno? Being intimate means that we-" Dib was cut off by a sudden movement which he was not prepared for.  
Zim locked his lips with Dib, letting out a small sigh as he leaned into it.  
It took Dib a couple of seconds to lean in and finally close his eyes, kissing back with all the courage he had. It lasted a couple of seconds before Zim pulled away, looking at Dib with droopy eyes.  
"I think you've forgotten how long Zim has been here, human," Zim stated, snorting, "Zim may not understand a couple of things, but Zim learned a lot about human interaction. Zim knows what it means to be intimate..." Dib's eyes widened slightly and he froze, letting out a soft whine before stuttering, "I- uhm- I think I love you-"  
Zim let out a loud laugh and watched him, letting out a hushed "stupid human" before leaning back in for another kiss. This time it was not as soft as the first one, but much more forced and needy. Both of them have been waiting for this moment for a long time coming, and the moment was finally here. Their lips locked desperately, only to break to let their tongues intertwine.  
Dib's mind was going mad, thinking about too many things at once. "am I really making out with my crush right now?" "am I really making out with an _alien_ right now?" "his tongue feels weird" "this is very sexually frustrating."  
He was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard a small shine come from the alien and felt a hand grabbing at his hair. Dib couldn't help but give in and gave it everything he could, trying to give him the best damn kiss in the world. He eventually pulled Zim onto him, letting him straddle his waist. The kiss only escalated to needy clothes gripping and hair/antenna twirling.  
Zim pulled away for air and chuckled, a light blush dusted against his cheeks. He watched as Dib panted softly, his hair disheveled.  
"Zim loves you too."


End file.
